The main aim of the Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer M.P. (CIBERONC) is to promote excellence in oncology research in Spain, as well as to incorporate new findings into clinical practice.

In its search for excellence, CIBERONC promotes cooperation among 50 of the best national research groups in cancer. It also pursues an increase in the quality of its researchers by means of a transversal training and mobility program.

In order to ensure the integration of the results of its research in patients’ treatment, it ensures a balance between basic and clinical researchers in all CIBERONC structures. The central objectives of each program are furthermore intended to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.

Last, but not least, CIBERONC wishes to narrow the gap between scientific knowledge and society. It therefore clearly explains the benefits of its research to the general public through different endeavors.

In the i2010 vision of a European Digital Library, the EU launched an ambitious plan for large-scale digitization projects transforming Europe’s printed heritage into digitally available resources. The aim of fully integrating intellectual content into the modern information and communication technologies environment can only be achieved by full-text digitization: transforming digital images of scanned books into electronic text.

Over the last 2 to 3 years, mass-digitization has become one of the most prominent issues in the library world. Today, a number of advanced libraries in Europe are scanning millions of pages each year and large scale-digitization is no long an idea, it is a matter of fact. However, these efforts can tackle only a fraction of the total heritage available in cultural memory organizations. The digitized material is becoming available too slowly and in too small quantities from too few sources.

The IMPACT project aims to remove many of these barriers. The project pushes innovation in OCR technology and language technology for historical document processing and retrieval, and shares expertise to build capacity in digitization across Europe. The project includes the establishment of a Centre of Competence, set up in order to provide a central service entry point for all libraries, archives and museums involved in the digitization of textual material.

The consortium brings together 26 national and regional libraries, research institutions and commercial suppliers to share their know-how and best practices, develop innovative tools to enhance the capabilities of OCR engines and the accessibility of digitized text, and lay down the foundations for the mass-digitization programs that will take place over the next decade.